Sports Figures - The 1920's The 1920's Bibliography George Herman "Babe" Ruth, Jr., nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American professional baseball player. He was a Major League Baseball pitcher and outfielder who played for 22 seasons on three teams, from 1914 through 1935. Ruth was born in 1895 and died in 1948. Babe Ruth is most recognized for his many record breaking accomplishments and for being a role model for any sport fanatic in the 1920s. He was known as the greatest player of the century. William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey was an American professional boxer and cultural icon of the 1920s. He held the World Heavyweight Championship from 1919 to 1926. Many of his fights set financial and attendance records, including the first million dollar gate.He is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Harrison wrote a book called " How to Fight Tough". Harrison died in 1983.

Create a free website Babe-Ruth.com - The Sultan Of Swat Babe-Ruth.com The Sultan Of Swat Babe Ruth Baseball player. Born George Herman Ruth, Jr., on February 6, 1895, in Baltimore, Maryland. He was the first of eight children born to Kate and George Herman Ruth, Sr. Most of the Ruth children died in infancy and only George Jr. and his sister Mamie survived to maturity. Little George, as he was called, grew up in a poor waterfront neighborhood in Baltimore, where he lived above the family saloon. In 1902, the Ruths sent their son away to St. Marys Industrial School for Boys, which was both a reformatory and an orphanage. Ruth developed a love for sports, particularly baseball, which served as his escape from the strict environment at St Marys. From an early age he showed potential as an athlete, and in his late teens he had developed into a professional candidate. His tough southpaw pitching attracted Jack Dunn, manager of the minor league Baltimore Orioles. In 1914, the Orioles signed Ruth to his first professional baseball contract.

He became the teams youngest member, and was befittingly nicknamed Babe. Within five months, 19-year-old Ruth graduated to the major leagues, and signed with the Boston Red Sox. He remained with the team for six seasons, alternating positions as pitcher and outfielder. With his great pitching, powerful bat, and winning personality, he was quickly on his way to greatness, overshadowing players like Ty Cobb and Honus Wagner. After a controversy revealed that the Chicago White Sox conspired to throw the 1919 World Series, the sport of baseball was in need of a hero. The scandal had shaken the publics faith in the game. However, in 1919, while still a part-time pitcher for the Red Sox, Ruth made his home-run assault on the record books. His 25th home run that year shattered the modern major league record held by the now forgotten Gabby Kraveth. By the end of the year, Ruths record was an unprecedented 29 home runs, and he was credited with reviving faith in the game.

In December of 1919, the Boston Red Sox sold the invaluable player to New York Yankee owner Colonel Jacob Ruppert. Ruppert bought Ruths contract for over $100,000, which was a staggering price at the time. In 1920, Ruth joined the Yankees, who as yet had never won a pennant. For years they played in the shadow of the New York Giants. Without a baseball park to call their own, the Yankees were forced to hold their games at the Giants Polo Grounds. Ruth started as a full-time outfielder, hitting 54 home runs his first year with the Yankees. Shortly after, he became baseballs preeminent player, and such a drawing card that New York built a new stadium for the crowds he was attracting. Yankee Stadium had its opening day on April 4, 1923, with a total attendance of 74,000. The stadium became known as The House That Ruth Built, and the period became known as the Golden Age of Baseball. On opening day, Ruth made the first home run in Yankee Stadium history.

Ruth's slugging percentages in 1920 and 1921 were .847 and .846. Neither figure has ever been approached. In fact, a slugging percentage higher than .704 has been achieved only 20 times, eight by Ruth. In 1923, hitting .393, he was named the leagues Most Valuable Player, and capped off the year by ushering the Yankees to their first World Series Championship. He also led the American League in home runs from 1919-1924, and again from 1926-1931. In 1927, Ruth hit 60 home runs, breaking his own record, and setting a new one that would endure for decades (Roger Maris broke it in 1961). With an exceptional year, he assumed almost mythic status, and was nicknamed The Sultan of Swat, The Home Run King, and Herman the Great. Off the field Ruth reveled in his celebrity status, enjoying a wild and extravagant life.

However, his high living and headstrong behavior eventually began to take a toll on his performance. He was still baseballs premier player but fellow teammate and newcomer Lou Gehrig started to show signs of greatness as well. The year 1931 was the start of Ruths 12th season with the Yankees, and it also marked the great days of Lou Gehrigs career. Ruth was still a force, but Gehrig was closing the gap. At the end of the season the two players were tied in home runs. In 1933, Ruths once great talent began to erode. Realizing that his playing days were numbered, he threatened the Yankees that he would quit if not given the opportunity to become a manager. After they denied his request, he left the Yankees in 1934. Two years later, the Boston Braves offered to take on Ruth as a part-time player, baiting him with an eventual assistant-manager position. He accepted, and his decision met with mixed feelings among New York fans. Some thought that he was deserving of the opportunity, and others felt that he was selling out.

After three months, Ruth became aware of the fact that the Braves only wanted him for his drawing power. They had no intention of giving him a managerial position. He resigned from the team, and made his last appearance as a player in May of 1935, retiring with 714 career home runs (a record that was broken by Hank Aaron in 1974). In 1936, Ruth was part of the first class inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, along with Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Walter Johnson, and Christy Mathewson. He became a coach with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1938, but never achieved his goal of managing a major league team. Ruth was diagnosed with cancer in 1946. Although the extent of his illness was kept from him, he knew that his time was limited. He spent the remainder of his life making countless visits to childrens hospitals and orphanages.

In 1948, Ruth made his final appearance at Yankee Stadium, celebrating the 25th anniversary of The House that Ruth Built. His number was retired, and April 27th was declared Babe Ruth Day. On August 16, 1948, Ruth died at the age of 53. At the time of his death, he held 54 major league records, including most years leading a league in home runs (12), most total bases in a season (457), and highest slugging percentage for a season (.847). While with the Red Sox, Ruth married 18-year-old waitress Helen Woodford, whom he had known less than three months. In 1929, Ruths wife died in a fire. At the time, they had been separated for three years. Her tragic death allowed him to marry Claire Hodgson, a former model and actress. With Claires daughter from a previous marriage and Ruths adopted daughter (with Woodford), they became an immediate family. Ruth and Hodgson remained together until Ruths death.

Sports - the 1920's the 1920's Joe Dimaggio Roman. (0) ) Joe was only a young man in the 1920's but considering the height of baseball and the great bambino there is no doubt in my mind that he wasn't influenced by the culture of the 20's. He was quoted "A person doing his or her best becomes a natural leader,just by example." His example was most likely Babe Ruth Italian like him and an inspiring ball player like him. Johnny Weissmuller Roman. (0) ) Born a sickly child, whom would later go on to be the undefeated winner of five Olympic gold medals, 67 world and 52 national titles, holder of every freestyle record from 100 yards to the half-mile.And in 1929 he went on the silver screen only wearing a fig leaf. From then his movie career was gold and he became a heartthrob for women all over. Helen Wills “Little Ms. Poker Face” Roman. (0) ) Helen Wills was a outstanding female tennis player when females were still seen as inferior housewives.

She was nick named "little miss poker face" because she never showed any emotion during a match. Chaplin once said that the most beautiful he had ever seen was" The movement of Helen Wills playing tennis" Even after Wills left playing tennis, she stayed in the limelight as a writer and artist. Simply sticking it to the man by being successful. babe ruth Bryanna Chrisp- Babe Ruth was a beloved American hero throughout the 1920's. He broke numerous records throughout his career. After the fixing of the World Series in 1919, America was searching for an authentic baseball prodigy. Babe Ruth embodied the expectations of a hero. In 1920 he hit over 54 home runs; in 1927 he hit 60. In 1923 he was named Most Valuable Player of the league. He experienced the joy of winning the World Series on seven different occasions. Children idolized him and adults loved to watch him skillfully play the all-American game, baseball. gene Tunney Bryanna Chrisp- Gene Tunney was a unique, strategic boxer of the 1920's.

He was the Heavyweight Champion of the world beginning in 1926 and successfully defended his title through 1928. He is noted for defeating his worthy opponent, Jack Dempsy, on two separate occasions. Gene Tunney's second victory remains controversial because of a fight nicknamed "The Long Count fight", when Gene Tunney gained an advantage over Jack Dempsy because the referee stated that he would not resume counting until Dempsy returned to his corner of the ring. As boxing's popularity as a spectator sport climaxed during the 1920's, Tunney's name was constantly a suject of conversation. Bobby jones Bryanna Chrisp- Bobby Jones was born into a wealthy family in Atlanta in 1902. His father's membership at East Lake Country Club was to the advantage of young Bobby Jones who became an exceptional teenage golfer when he began modeling his technique after the club's designated professional. As Jones began to grow older he became frustrated with his limited golfing skills and chose to forfeit games and throw his club when defeat was eminent. In 1923 his reputation as a poor sport inexplicably changed into a reputation of maturity and dignity as well as skillfullness.

His reign of golfing championship had begun and he proceeded to conquer thirteen championships. He is better known for his honesty, willingness to penalize himself, and his humility taking form in his refusal to accept monetary prizes for his wins. He was considered an admirable role model in homes of the 1920's era. Walter hagen Bryanna Chrisp- Walter Hagen is iconic today for his golfing achievments of the 1920's. He was victor of five PGA championship games, as well as two U.S Opens and four British Opens, and four of his five PGA championships were consecutive (1924-1927), and he was the first golfer to earn one million dollars. He was eventually inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Although he is widely known for his athletic talent, he is also remembered for his distinctive clothing style and the method in which he exposed unfair discrimination exerted by golf clubs toward professional golfers. Golf clubs often denied admittance to professional golfers.

When Walter Hagen was once denied access to a golf club's changing room, he employed a Rolls Royce driver to park conspicuously in front of a golf club while Hagan dressed inside of the extravagent vehicle. Ty cobb Nicolette Tosunian- Ty Cobb "The Georgia Peach" is considered the greatest baseball player of the dead ball era, which occurred in the early 1900's. Cobb played for the Detroit Tigers for the majority of his career, but also played his last two years as a Philadelphia Athletic. Ty Cobb was the leading vote getter of the inaugural class of the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936. National air race Nicolette Tosunian- The National Air Races were a series of air races and other aerial events that took place mainly during the 1930s and 1940s, although national air races were held on a smaller scale as early as 1920. The event began in 1920 when New York World publisher Joseph Pulitzer sponsored an air race on Long Island in an effort to promote aviation.

Air events were added during the decade and the venue for the races moved around the country until 1929, when the expanded event was first held in Cleveland, where it remained through 1949, except for two years when it took place in California. The races, which became one of the premier international air events, became known as the Cleveland National Air Races. They featured the aviation greats of the era, including Charles Lindbergh, Roscoe Turner, Jackie Cochran, Jimmie Doolittle, Wylie Post, Doug Davis, and many others. Initially the races ran for a 10-day period at the end of September. During the Depression, the races were scaled back to the Labor Day weekend. During World War II they were temporarily suspended. The races took place at Hopkins Airport (Cleveland Municipal Airport), which had opened in the mid-1920s and which featured permanent grandstands where the thousands of spectators could view the races. National Intercollegiate Women's Fencing Association Nicolette Tosunian- Three women collegiate fencers, Julia Jones and Dorothy Hafner of New York University and Elizabeth Ross of Cornell University, founded the NIWFA in 1929.

The inspiration and model for the new athletic association for women was the men's Intercollegiate Fencing Association (IFA) founded a third of a century before. The purpose of the organization was to develop women's intercollegiate fencing and to sponsor an annual championship. New York University won the first team championship. Mrs. Mildred Stuyvesant Fish of New York, donated the perpetual trophy for the team championship. Julia Jones, an N.Y.U. student won the first individual championship. Until her death in 1995, Ms. Jones was the guiding light of the association she helped to establish. Benny leonard Nicolette Tosunian- A member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame, Leonard is considered by many boxing experts to be the greatest lightweight champion who ever lived -- and one of the greatest fighters of any weight to ever enter the ring. The lightweight champion for a division record 7 years and 6-1/2 months, he did not lose a fight in a twenty year span from May 1912 until October 1932, except for a single disqualification in 1922.

Dan Parker, a veteran sports writer, said: "Leonard moved with the grace of a ballet dancer and wore an air of arrogance that belonged to royalty. His profile might have been chiseled by a master sculptor and there wasn't a mark of his trade upon it to mar its classic perfection." Lou Gehrig Caitlin Stryker Gehrig was born on June 19, 1903 in New York City to German immigrants and was the only one of four children to survive.in 1921 he went to Columbia on a football scholarship to pursue a degree in engineering. When baseball scout Paul Krichell saw the Columbia baseball team play, Gehrig's hitting skills impressed him so much that he signed Gehrig to the Yankees in 1923 with a $1,500 bonus were he pitched almost every game. Gehrig's consecutive game streak of 2,130 games did not come easily. He played well every day despite a broken thumb, a broken toe and back spasms. Later in his career Gehrig's hands were X-rayed, and doctors were able to spot 17 different fractures that had "healed" while Gehrig continued to play.

His endurance and strength earned him the nickname "Iron Horse." ( Bill Tilden Caitlin Stryker Bill Tilden was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on February 10, 1893. In 1911, his mother passed away from a stroke. At age five, Tilden took up tennis and won his first tournament at age seven. The following year, he won a 15-and under tournament and was deemed the “Master Junior.” Tilden furthered his education by attending the University of Pennsylvaniaand was rejected from the army for World War I because of his lankyness and his flat feet. But in 1920, he made it onto the American Davis Cup Team and traveled to London. He led the team to seven consecutive victories from 1920 to 1926. He won Wimbledon in 1920, as well as in 1921 and 1930. During this time, he was also the U.S. champion five times in a row from 1920 to 1930. For nearly a decade, Tilden was the undisputed number one player in the world.

His powerful serve was known as a “cannonball” serve, and it was unstoppable. Bill Tilden is considered tennis' first superstar. ( Jack Dempsey Caitlin Stryker Born in Manassa, Colorado on June 24, 1895, William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey rose to sports stardom in the 1920s. His iron strength and killer left hooks allowed awarded Dempsey both the heavyweight title and the nickname of the "Manassa Mauler " and kept the title six times in just seven years. In most of his matches, there were no survivors but on September 23, 1926,he was defeated by Gene Tunney and lost his heavyweight title. This match yielded the largest paid attendance in boxing history. Tunney and Dempsey went head to head again in 1927 but Dempsey lost this rematch, which was coined "The Battle of the Long Count" because of a call by the referee that Dempsey did not return to a neutral corner after Tunney had fallen. Tunney won the match three rounds later.

( Harold "Red" Grange Caitlin Stryker Red Grange, named for his bright red hair, is remembered as one of the greatest football players of all time. In high school, he made 75 touchdowns even though his doctor warned him of his heart murmur. After high school, Grange went to the University of Illinois in 1922 and was immediately playing first string and continually led the team to national championships. He once scored four touchdowns in twelve minutes. In his college career, Red played in 20 games as a college football player running 388 times for 2071 yards, catching 14 passes for 253 yards, completing 40 of 82 passes for 575 yards, and scoring 31 touchdowns. During his college years, he earned the nicknames “the Galloping Ghost,” and the “Illinois Flash.” When he signed with the Chicage Bears, the National Football League and the game in general gained immense popularity. Grange also organized the American Football League.

( Elizabeth Robinson Schwartz Kelsey Chittum On 30 March 1928 Elizabeth Robinson, most commonly called Betty, made her debut as a runner at the Bankers' meet in Chicago, Illinois. She competed in the 100 meters and finished second to Helen Filkey, who at the time was the American women's record holder. On July 4, 1928, at her second meet, she qualified for the Olympic team. The 1928 Olympics, held in Amsterdam, marked the first time that a female track and field athlete was allowed to compete. She was the only American to reach the finals in her division. She went on to win the 100 meter by only a tenth of a second. Robinson's received the first Olympic gold medal that was ever given to a woman in track and field. She by far was one of the best runners of her time and she continued to set many records throughout the rest of the decade. ( Negro National League Kelsey Chittum By the end of World War I, baseball had become the biggest form of entertainment among African-Americans.

The first Negro baseball league was founded by Andrew Foster on February 13, 1920 at the YMCA in Kansas City, Missouri. The Negro National League consisted of eight teams. The league was the first African-American baseball organization to gain stability and last longer than one season. The league was the first African-American leauge to hold a world Series between them and the and the Eastern Colored League. The league existed for the entire decaded but sadly ended due to the Great Depression. National Football League Kelsey Chittum Due to the increasing popularity of football, The American Professional Football Association was founded in 1920. Jim Thorpe was the president of the APFA and he himself played for various teams in the association. The APFA changed their name to the National Football League in 1922. The league consisted of eleven teams, most of which were located in the midwest. In 1921 the league began releasing standings. Teams continued to enter and leave the league and by the end of the decade football was gaining even more popularity. ( Glemma Collett Vare Kelsey Chittum Glemma Collett Vare was a famous women's golfer and was on of the best of her time.

She won six Women’s Amateur titles and was the greatest hitter in the history of women's golf. In 1965 Glenna Collett Vare received the Bob Jones Award, the United States Golf Association 's highest award, and in 1975 she was part of the first group inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. In her career, she won over 84 titles and she was known for her excellent sportsmanship and character. ( Water skiing Paul Hwang Water skiing was invented in the roaring 20's. The creator of this sport was Ralph Samuelson. A Minnesotan that created the first pair of skis, and was towed behind a boat. Water skiing was not just an exhibition sport, but a competitive sport that grow popular rapidly. Tommy hitchcock Paul Hwang Tommy was born in 1900 Aiken, South Carolina on a 3,000 acre thoroughbred farm that Tom Sr. had established. Tommy Hitchcock was not just a famous polo player, but he was a decorated war hero. It all started when Tommy was a little boy. He was schooled ever since the beginning to be an athlete.

His mother and father pushed him from the start to become the best of the best. Tommy's father was the captain of the first American polo team. His mother also had a passion for polo. This meant Tommy had a big shoe to fill. He was on the saddle by the age of 3. The international table tennis federation Paul Hwang Table tennis was started in the 1920's. Table tennis was also known as ping pong. Table tennis was originated from Royal tennis in Europe. The game was getting popular day by day. Table tennis was played with down sized tennis rackets also called paddles. The ball was a hollow plastic piece that was hit back and fourth. In the middle of the table was a small net. The net would represent the net in a normal sized tennis game. Table tennis could be played with two, or four people at a time. By the 1920's Table tennis grew so big. That a international table tennis federation was established. Knute rockne Paul Hwang Knute Rockne was born March 4, 1888. Knute was a star athlete in Notre Dame.

He was a star quaterback in the football team, and was a star runner on the Notre Dame track team. He was by 1920's he was named head coach of the Notre Dame's football team. Ever since he was the head coach. The school had a outstanding season. He created the title, "the fighting Irish" for the school. The public knew him as a warm, and colorful man that captured the fan's hearts. He was a man that conquered the 1920's in Notre Dame. Man o' war Andrew Ramirez Man o' war was a legendary race horse during the 20s. The horse got it's name from the horse owner's wife after he got back from WWI. Man o' War set an American mile record of one minute and thirty-five seconds. Man o' War died on November 1, 1947 from heart attack and more than two thousand people attended the funeral. ( Jack Adams Andrew Ramirez Jack Adams was the coach and manager of the Detroit Red Wings in 1928. Adams was also a hall of fame player and later became president of the Central Hockey League.

Jack Adams aided the Detroit Red Wings by leading them to three Stanley Cups by 1947. Before Adams resigned his coaching career he tallied 413 wins, 390 losses. ( First Winter Olympics -Zachary Brown- Held in 1924, in Chamonix, France, the First Winter Olympics was actually called The International Winter Sports Week, to convince Norwegian , Finnish, and Swedish athletes to show up, since they wanted the Olympics to be contested contested in a spirit of amateurism and purity of sport, far from the money-driven spectacle that today's Olympics have become, and partly what the "Summer" Olympics already were by that time. ( William Tatem -Zachary Brown- William "Big Bill" Tilden dominated men's tennis in the 1920's. His dramatic playing style attracted public attention to a sport that had often been regarded as snobbish and boring. For six consecutive years he won the U.S. Championship, from 1920 through 1925, and again, at the age of thirty-six, in 1929.

On the 3rd of July, 1920 Tilden became the first American to win the men's singles title at Wimbledon, which he succesfully defended the following year, and which he regained in 1930. ( Aileen Riggin -Zachary Brown- Was the first person to win a medal in both swimming and diving in the olympics. In the 1920 Antwerp games, she won gold in the Springboard category. Four years later in the 1924 Paris games, she won a silver medal for springboard diving and a bronze in the 100m backstroke. ( Babe Ruth hits 60th straight home-run -Zachary Brown- Known as the Sultan of Swat, Babe Ruth broke numerous Home Run Records, most of which had been set by himself. However it was his 1927 season that he is most remembered for, where he hit sixty long balls in just one-hundred fifty-one games. ( Helen Wills Moody Andrew Ramirez Moody was an American Tenis player.

Moody has been described as "the first American born woman to achieve international celebrity as an athlete." Throughout her career she has won 31 Grand Slam tittles and won two Olympic gold medals in 1924. Moody was ranked in the world top ten from 1922 through 1925 and from 1927 though 1933 she was ranked No. 1. Helen Moody was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1959. In 1981, Wills was inducted into the Bay Area Athletic Hall of Fame. In 1926 and 1929, Wills appeared on the cover of Time magazine. ( Gertrude Ederle Andrew Ramirez Ederle was the first woman ever to swim across the English Channel on Aug. 6, 1926 at the age of 20. It took her 14 hours and 30 minutes to cross the English Channel.

At the 1924 Summer Olympics, she won a gold medal as a part of US 400-meter freestyle relay team and bronze medals for finishing third in the 100-meter and 400-meter freestyle races. ( Babe Ruth, Sultan of Swat - 1920's Babe Ruth, Sultan of Swat - 1920's Babe Ruth, Sultan of Swat - 1920's $169.00 $169.00 Qty George Herman Ruth, better known as "Babe," the "Bambino" and the "Sultan of Swat," was a home run m... Learn More Customers Also Viewed Reviews George Herman Ruth, better known as "Babe," the "Bambino" and the "Sultan of Swat," was a home run machine for the New York Yankees who changed the game of baseball with his swing-for-the-seats style of hitting. In this photo, he takes batting practice at "The House That Ruth Built," better known as Yankee Stadium. Photo from The New York Times Photo Archives. Each exhibition-quality print meets the highest photographic standards and is individually created with the finest ink and fiber-based archival paper.

Unframed photos ship in 3 - 5 business days. Framing adds 2 additional production days. Expedited shipping will not shorten production time. Home Runs by Decades Home Runs by Decades By Eddie Gold* George Herman Ruth in his heyday was known as the Sultan of Swat. If the Babe were around today, he might be the Shah of Slam or possibly the Ayatollah of Assault. Anyway, when it comes to Home Runs by Decades, the Ruth is mighty and still prevails. Ruth hit 467 of his 714 homers during the 1920s, easily the top mark for any decade. He outdistanced runner-up Rogers Hornsby in the 1920s by 217 homers. In contrast, Hank Aaron, the all-time home run leader with 755, was never the top man in any decade. He came close in the 1960s, finishing second to Harmon Killebrew, 393 to 375.

Roger Mans, whose 61 homers in 1961 topped Ruth's season total by an asterisk, could do no better than 14th place in the 1960s with his 217 total. The all-time leaders by decades are Harry Stovey (1880s), Hugh Duffy (l890s), Harry Davis (1900s), Gavvy Cravath (1910s), Ruth (1920s), Jimmie Foxx (1930s), Ted Williams (1940s), Duke Snider (1950s), Killebrew (1960s), and Willie Stargell (1970s). The tightest race was in the recently concluded decade where Stargell had 296, Reggie Jackson 292, and Johnny Bench 290.

Rounding out the top ten were Bobby Bonds 280, Lee May 270, Dave Kingman and Graig Nettles 252, Mike Schmidt (who has the best start for the 1980s) 235, Tony Perez 226, and Reggie Smith 225. Harry Stovey hit 91 roundtrippers in the 1880s with a season high of 19 for Philadelphia of the American Association in 1889. But home runs weren't his big schtick. He was the first player to wear sliding pads and is best known for his base stealing. Hugh Duffy, with 85 fourbaggers in the 1890s, edged Ed Delahanty by six. His best season was in 1894 when he hit 18, to go with a record .438 batting average. Roger Connor, the 19th century's top slugger with 138 home runs, could do no better than sixth in the 1880s and fifth in the 1890s.

The 1900s were the heyday of the dead-ball era, and Davis' 67 homers were the best of a poor bunch. The A's first baseman enjoyed his best season in 1906 when he hit a dozen fourbaggers. The teens produced the first one-two homer punch, Cravath and Fred Luderus of the Philadelphia Phihies. Cravath hit 116 of his 119 career total, while Luderus hit 83 of his 84 lifetime homers. Luckily for Cravath and Luderus, Ruth was still a pitcher with the Boston Red Sox. The Babe was switched to the outfield in 1919 and hit a record 29 homers. But his total for that decade was only 49, placing him 11th. Ruth was sold to the New York Yankees the following season and averaged 46.7 homers during the Roaring Twenties. The only other slugger to average more than 40 homers was Foxx the following decade with a 41.5 mark.

Ruth played only a half decade during the 1930s, but still managed to finish eighth with 198 homers to Foxx' 415. Home run production tumbled during the war-torn 1940s as Ted Williams led with 234 despite spending one/third of the decade in military service. In fact, seven of the top ten served in the armed forces. Williams hit 227 homers the following decade, only seven fewer than in the 1940s, but couldn't break into the top ten. The Brooklyn Dodgers' duo of Snider (326) and Gil Hodges (310) finished one-two during the 1950s. Roy Campanella hit 211 to give the Dodgers three 200-plus homer hitters, but Campy could place only 14th in that competitive decade. There were 18 players with 200 or more homers during the 1960s, with five - Killebrew, Aaron, Willie Mays, Frank Robinson and Willie McCovey - reaching 300.

The Chicago Cubs had three stars with 200 homers in that decade, the well-bunched trio of Ernie Banks, 269, Ron Santo, 253, and Billy Williams, 249. Seven players appeared in the top ten for successive decades. They were Connor and Sam Thompson in the 1880s and 1890s, Ruth and Lou Gehrig in the l920s and 1930s, and Mays, Banks and Mantle in the l950s and l960s. Following is the list for the top ten in each decade. It includes homers for that decade, lifetime homers and percentage of career homers for that 10-year span: HOME RUN LEADERS BY DECADES AMS Press, Inc.: Baseball and the "Sultan of Swat": Babe Ruth at 100 edited by Robert N. Keane George Vesey, Foreward with an Afterword Eric J. Schmertz, Conference Director’s Message Robert N. Keane, Preface: Me and the Babe Part I. The Early Years 1. William Jakub, “Babe Ruth: The Rookie Year” 2.

John E. McGah, “Babe Ruth, the Red Sox, and Fans of Boston” 3. Larry Turkish, “The Boston Babe: The Big Splash” 4. Sephen D. Guschov, “All the Glory Belongs to Boston: The Story of Babe Ruth and the 1918 World Champion Red Sox” 5. Thomas G. Jordan, Jr., “The Phenomenon Known as the ‘Curse of the Bambino’” 6. Peter T. Dalleo and J. Vincent Watchorn, “Sultan of Sweat or Slacker? Babe Ruth and the Bethlehem Steel League, 1918” Part II. The Yankee Years 7. Michael D'Innocenzo, “The 1920s: The Prime Time of Babe Ruth” 8. Victor Debs, Jr., “Ruth's Greatest Season” 9. Sam Stoloff, “The Sultan and the Czar: Babe Ruth, Judge Landis, and the Carnivalesque in Mass Culture” 10. Lyle Spatz, “Babe Ruth on Opening Day” 11. Steven P.

Gietschier, “From ‘Frank Ruth’ to ‘Nation Mourns Ruth’: The Sporting News Contributes to the Making of a Legend” 12. Peter Carino, “Reciprocal Grandeur: Babe Ruth and Yankee Stadium” 13. Joseph Dorinson, “Yankee from Olympus: Babe Ruth and Baseball Tradition in the Bronx” 14. Ron Briley, “Ruth and Cobb as Cultural Symbols: The Development of a Mass Consumer Ethic for Baseball in the 1920s” 15. Ray Robinson, “The Babe and Lou” 16. Michael P. Riccards, “Myth and Manhood: Ruth, DiMaggio, and American Baseball” Part III. Barnstorming 17. Robert F. Eisen and William Cahill, “Babe Ruth’s Barnstorming Activities” 18. Raymond I. Schuck, “Babe’s in Tourland: How Babe Ruth Was Well-Suited for Barnstorming” 19. Ray Schuck, “When the Broadway Limited Stopped in Lima: An Ohio Town Embraces the Babe” 20.

Robert Peterson, “Ruth and the Other Side of the Tracks” 21. Kazuo Sayama, “The Impact of Babe Ruth on Japan and Japanese Culture” 22. Manuel Márquez-Sterling, “Babe Ruth's Impact on Latin American Baseball and Latin American Baseball Players: Cuba—A Case Study” Part IV. The “Called Shot” 23. Stan Isaacs, “Babe Ruth’s Called Shot: A Matter of Semantics?” 24. Peter Williams, “Magnificent, but Not Divine: The Called Shot” 25. Ray Kelly, as told to Stan Isaacs, “Ray Kelly's ‘Called Shot’” 26. Roger L. Solberg, “The Sick Boy, the Called Shot, and the Swan Song: Hollywood and Babe Ruth” Part V. Babe Ruth in Literature and Song 27. Linda K. Fuller, “The ‘Sultan of Swat’ and the Silver Screen” 28. Richard H. Miller, “Along Came Ruth: The Babe and Popular Music” 29.

Marjorie Maddox, “Hits and Home Runs: Babe Ruth as Baseball Folk Hero in Poetry and Fiction” 30. Joseph Lawrence Basile, “Babe Ruth: Baseball's Whitmanesque Hero” 31. Ron Kaplan, “The Books on the Babe: The Later Biographies of George Herman Ruth” 32. Michael Solomowitz, “Babe Ruth and the Printed Ad: Hitting Homers and Striking Out, Everyone Wanted a Piece of the Babe” Part VI. Myth, Legend, and Psychology 33. Mark A. Roesler, “A Legend Never Goes Out of Style” 34. Leonard R. N. Ashley, “Babe, the Babe, the Bambino: Nicknames of Baseball's Sultan of Swat” 35. Adam J. Cox, “Babe Ruth: A Pure Expression of American Id” 36. Thomas Gaskill, “The Best-Made Myth: The Inevitable Emergence of Babe Ruth as America’s Mythic Hero” 37. William Petty, “A. Bartlett Giamatti, Babe Ruth, and the 'Nostalgia' of Baseball” Part VII.

Statistics 38. Ken Shouler, “Babe Ruth’s Top Ten List: Ten Reasons Why the Babe Is Truly the Sultan” 39. Norman P. Bolotin, “Baseball’s Greatest?: Statistically, It’s No Contest— Ruth’s the Undisputed King” Index George Herman "Babe" Ruth - 1920s Sports 1920s Sports George Herman "Babe" Ruth Babe Ruth, also known as The Great Bambino, The Sultan of Swat, and The Home Run King. Babe Ruth was born on Febuary 6, 1895 in Baltimore, Maryland. Babe Ruth started his MLB career at the young age of 19 as a left-handed pitch with the Baltimore Orioles. The Sultan of Swat was scouted from St. Marys in Baltimore. When he got the majors he was given the nickname "baby", which then changed to "babe" and "babe" would stick with him for the rest of his life. Babe Ruth spent a quick five months with the Orioles. He was then traded to the Boston Red Sox.

At the time he was purely a pitcher and pitched 29 2/3 scoreless innings in the 1917 World Series. After the 1918 World Series the babe was traded to the evil empire, the New York Yankees. Once in NY he became a prolific hitter. Hitting home runs, after home runs. He ended with 714 for his career. Off the field Babe Ruth was just like any other man. He was a big 6' 2", 215 pound icon that loved to drink and loved to smoke a pipe. The Home Run King once said, "I'll promise to go easier on drinking and to get to bed earlier, but not for you, fifty thousand dollars, or two-hundred and fifty thousand dollars will I give up women. They're too much fun." Once Babe Ruth was on the field he was completely serious. In 1923 he won the AL MVP, 1931 he won the Slocum award (awarded to a person that had a long and mertorious service to baseball), and held the MLB record for all-time home runs from 1935 to 1974.

Babe Ruth wasn't just looked at as a home run. He was looked at as a national icon. In the 1920s he was the ultimate rags-to-riches story. He gave a lot of people hope and inspiration that they can live a better life by working hard. Once he was in the riches part of his life he didnt let his status get to his head. He was always interact with fans, a lot of which were kids. The interactions made him more of an "average joe". George Ruth did not care how much money they had. After games he would stand near his car and sign autographs for hours for all the kids. One of his most famous interations was when he called a home run for a kid that he saw in the hospital the day before. The Babe would go to the hosiptal all the time to visit the kids, and he would do it without cameras or a reporter with him. Babe Ruths career ended with a speech at Yankee stadium . Before he died he said "The termites (cancer, the day before he died to Connie Mack) have got me". Babe ruth died of cancer on August 16, 1948 in New York, New York.

He was barried at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, New York. Babe Ruth During his speechat the house that he "built" BBC - GCSE Bitesize: Why did sport and other leisure activities witness so much growth during this period? Why did sport and other leisure activities witness so much growth during this period? The increasing popularity of sports During the years after the First World War, people had more free time and money for leisure activities as a result of new machinery and the economic boom. In this period, organised sports [Organised sports: Sports were given a new structure in which the emphasis was on the games, centres and supporters. ] developed, especially baseball, boxing, tennis and golf. Stadiums such as the Yankee Stadium (1923) were erected, and Madison Square Garden was rebuilt in 1925 in order to hold sporting events, eg boxing, ice hockey and basketball. Events could be broadcast live across the USA on the radio. The programmes provided live commentary and descriptions of various sporting events as they happened. The effect of this was to generate huge enthusiasm about sport and increase the popularity of the radio too. Sports became a profitable business, attracting more and more people.

Coca-Cola was the first company to sponsor the Olympic Games in 1928. The appeal of the icons of the time, heroes such as Babe Ruth and Jack Dempsey, attracted an increasing amount of people to go and watch organised sports. Sporting heroes Babe Ruth Babe Ruth, was undoubtedly the sports star of the 1920s. His nickname was The Bambino or The Sultan of Swat. Babe Ruth was by far the best baseball player of his time. He was sold by the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees in 1919 and earned over $2,000,000 during his career. He was also responsible for changing the way baseball was played, from being a slow game to a fast game with a lot of points being scored. 1927 was a remarkable year for Babe Ruth. He was a member of the celebrated Yankees team that won the World Series against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Ruth succeeded in hitting 60 home runs in one season – a record that stood until 1961. Jack Dempsey Jack Dempsey was the heavyweight boxing champion of the world between 1919 and 1926.

His nickname was The Manassa Mauler and he was famous for his hard-hitting and vicious style. He was one of the first well-paid boxers, and the first to earn $1,000,000 for one fight. His battles against Gene Tunney were famous, and when he was defeated by Tunney in 1926 there were 120,557 people in the audience (a world record for any sport apart from football and car racing). Al Capone offered to ensure a victory for Dempsey in a fight between them in 1927, but Dempsey refused. He lost again to Tunney even though he floored him for 14 seconds in the seventh round (The Long Count). Gertrude Ederle There were numerous heroes in other sports too. 'Big' Bill Tilden was the first American to win Wimbledon, in 1920. In 1926 Gertrude Ederle was the first woman to swim the English Channel, breaking the male record. One of the stars of American football was 'Red' Grange, who played for the Chicago Bears.

Walter Hagen won a number of golf tournaments, including the PGA 5 times, in 1921 and 1924-27. In 1922, he became the first American to win the British Open Championship. Page:

Question: In the 1920's, which sportsman was known as, "The Sultan of Swat"?
Answer: BABE RUTH